Federal law on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns has changed. Michigan law has not.
That is a problem — and it could put law-abiding gun owners in real legal danger.
On January 1st, 2026, the federal government eliminated the $200 National Firearms Act tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns.
And a federal court has also recently ruled that the old federal registration and approval requirements tied to that tax can no longer be enforced in the same way.
While it is still unclear how this is going to shake out nationwide, the fact is if Michigan law is left unchanged, it’ll be virtually impossible to legally obtain suppressors, SBRs and SBSs if the NFA completely falls in federal court.
You see, our state law still treats these items as prohibited weapons unless you qualify under an exception based on federal approval. It even requires owners of short-barreled rifles and shotguns to carry proof of federal registration while using or transporting them.
So here is the trap: a Michigan gun owner could follow the new federal reality and still violate outdated state law. That is not a slap on the wrist. That is a felony — up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.
That is unacceptable.
The good news is that pro-gun lawmakers have introduced a package to fix it:
HB 6285 and 6284, introduced by Reps. James DeSana and Mike Hoadley, would remove suppressors from Michigan’s prohibited-weapons list, repeal the state’s separate ban on short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns, and eliminate the state requirements tied to federal registration. Other Michigan weapons laws would stay in place.
SB 1150 and 1151, introduced by Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, is the Senate policy bill to repeal those outdated state prohibitions.
It’s simple. Michigan should not criminalize law-abiding gun owners for failing to comply with a federal system that is on the verge of being thrown to the trash bin of history.
Not only that, according to the Second Amendment these items should have never been regulated in the first place.
Great Lakes Gun Rights fully supports these bills. And while they are unlikely to go anywhere this year, it is important that lawmakers are already looking ahead to solve the problem for Michigan gun owners.
We’ll keep you posted on any more updates on the NFA lawsuit and how it impacts Michigan gun owners, as well as any progress on these bills.
P.S. Please consider chipping in $35 or $10 to help GLGR fight the gun grabbers in Lansing!